PNC Park has been the loudest ballpark in the league this weekend. A night after Bryan Reynolds walked the Twins off in the 9th, the Pirates picked right back up where they left off — cannons firing early and often against Minnesota. The opener came from the home dugout before half the crowd had its first beer.
The Pirates struck first with a 408-foot, 107.2 mph blast to put Pittsburgh up 1-0.
From there the score kept tilting. Pittsburgh nudged it to 4-1, then Oneil Cruz did the thing Oneil Cruz does — he absolutely flattened a baseball into the deepest part of the yard. 420 feet, 106.1 off the bat, and the Pirates suddenly had the Twins on their heels at 7-1. The Cruz Missile nickname continues to earn its keep.
Cruz launches one over the center field wall to balloon the lead to 7-1.
If you thought that was the dagger, you have not watched a lot of Pirates baseball lately. Minnesota refused to fold. The Twins chipped, chipped, chipped, and by the time the dust settled in the 4th, the scoreboard read 7-7. Mitch Keller's early cushion was officially gone.
The play at the plate that knots it up at 7 in the 4th.
Two nights, two of the most entertaining games in the National League. Reynolds walked one off Friday, Cruz tried to end this one before dinner, and the Twins keep refusing to read the script. Whatever this series is, it is must-watch — and PNC has not been this loud in a long, long time.